‘Life and Trust’ is a Spectacular, Grandly Epic Experience (Review)
A new immersive experience conquers New York as beautifully and boldly as a Bull Market.
A new bank just opened in downtown Manhattan and is it ever one hell of a place. Typical financial institutions would hardly elicit such an emotional response, but not every financial institution is Life and Trust, a business with ominous slogans like, “Banking is in our blood” and “We have your best interest at heart … because your heart is our best interest.”
The phrases are prominently printed on posters, business cards, and other marketing materials in the cavern of capitalism. Each detail has been beautifully manicured and executed, and the building undeniably resembles a place where one might actually tend to financial matters. Yet Life and Trust is not a legitimate bank. It is the title of Emursive’s sprawling new theatrical spectacle, all of which takes place in a 1931 building that was once headquarters to City Bank-Farmers Trust company, predecessor to the more well-known Citigroup.
For the sake of dramatics and a thrilling night out, suspend your disbelief and become a potential customer of J.G. Conwell, the CEO and Chairman of Life and Trust. Shortly after arriving, you’ll meet him. But not before being greeted by one of his polished associates who works the room as you sip carefully crafted cocktails in the enormous waiting area that, by day, is an actual full-service coffee hall with excellent food.
We’re told that Mr. Conwell wants to personally meet us and a small group is led into his mahogany-dense office. He tells us that he’s just received an unfortunate call right before we arrived and that the stock market is about to crash. We also learn that the secret to his fortune was through an opioid-laced syrup that was able to cure his sister, Naima. A phantom appears to Conwell, giving him the opportunity to go back in time to his youth. The cost? His soul.
This is the only dialogue in the show. If it sounds familiar, think Faust, the 18th-century play by Johan Wolfgang von Goethe that has seeped into the cultural landscape, inspiring operas, novels, and movies and asking the age-old ethical question, “What are you willing to sell your soul for?”
Conwell’s assistant passes out plastic masks that are to be worn throughout the two and a half hours and we are then free to roam all six floors of the 100,000-square-foot space to witness all the transgressions and temptations from Conwell’s youth.
Audiences may stumble into a bar, stroll through a deserted garden, stand ringside at a boxing match, enjoy a vaudeville theater act, observe Mephisto (The Devil) tickle the ivories, watch scientists concoct potion in a laboratory, or play voyeur to a secret lesbian love affair.
This immersive-style experience is nothing new. A decade ago years ago, Emursive brought Shakespeare’s Macbeth to life in New York’s McKittrick Hotel in the form of Sleep No More. In a similar manner, audiences wear masks and roam the property, witnessing scenes from the Bard’s ubiquitous tragedy. After sold-out performances, high praise from critics, and endless extensions, it is ending its decade-long run on September 29.
Life and Trust, like Sleep No More, is ambitious and epic in scale. In many ways, it feels even grander, given the classy architecture and physically enormous space. The exterior of this edifice boasts 14 figures representing the “Giants of Finance.” It’s almost impossible not to feel the energy and grit of the building’s original tenants, who once dominated Wall Street and the Financial District.
Don’t expect a coherent storyline. Even with the familiarity of the Faust story, it’s hard to follow. Still, there is so much to explore that is consistently fascinating that it’s impossible to become bored. Director Teddy Bergman directs a huge cast of over 40 performers with a fine eye for detail. Emilio Sosa’s glorious costumes match the same level of precision. Lighting designer Jeanette Yew has bathed the space with elaborate luster that helps accent not just the performers, but also the glorious set design by Grace Laubacher.
Tony-nominated brothers Rick and Jeff Kuperman, currently represented on Broadway for The Outsiders, give the cast some spectacular choreography while Taylor Bense’s haunting score adds extra layers of delightful creepiness.
Tickets are currently on sale through September 30, but it’s a safe bet that Life and Trust will quickly become a word of mouth, must-see show that will likely run for much longer. Is that a bet on which to stake your heart? Maybe not. But should you sell your soul for a ticket? Absolutely, yes.
Life and Trust (★★★★★) is playing through September 30 at the Conwell Tower, 69 Beaver St. in New York City. Tickets are $160.50-$188.50. Visit www.lifeandtrustnyc.com.
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